Our Music Curriculum Intent
At St Gregory’s Primary School, it is our intent that we make music an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of musical experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s ability to understand rhythm and follow a beat. Through singing songs, children learn about the structure and organisation of music. We teach them to listen and to appreciate different forms of music. Children develop descriptive language skills in music lessons when learning about how music can represent different feelings, emotions and narratives. We also teach technical vocabulary such as volume, pitch, beat and rhythm and encourage children to discuss music using these terms.
Our Music Curriculum Implementation
Our children will learn that music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. They will be inspired and engaged by music education. Music lessons will engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and develop their talent as musicians, and in turn increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
The Charanga scheme of work is used from Reception – Year 6 to ensure a wide exposure to different genres of music, with lots of practical opportunities to explore and develop as musicians and singers.
The school is continuing to develop whole class ensemble and enrichment of instrument experiences. The younger children learn to play a range of percussion instruments, whereas as they continue their music journey the children will experience, learn and play the recorder, glockenspiel and ukulele. These lessons incorporate teaching musical notation, singing, as well as learning to play an instrument. Follow on group music lessons are also available to children to continue to develop their skills and ability on a musical instrument. Opportunities are taken to perform in class, in whole assemblies and also to parents and the wider community.
Additional opportunities are offered in music, by Peripatetic teachers and the school choir, which perform regularly in school and at events in the local community.
Our Music Curriculum Impact
Music assessment is ongoing to inform teachers with their planning, lesson activities and differentiation. Summative assessment is completed at the end of each unit to inform leaders of the improvements or skills that still need to be embedded. Music is monitored throughout all year groups using a variety of strategies such as lesson observations, pupil interviews and recordings.
At St Greg’s we value creativity and nothing gives us more pleasure than our children taking on new skills in music.
The school currently has visiting teachers each week in the following instruments:
Drums
Guitar
Clarinet
Trumpet
Piano
Violin / Viola
Through Dorset Council we have access to the Dorset Music Education Hub which is committed to providing all kinds of instrument playing and musical opportunities.
More information for parents can be discovered by following these links:
All of our lessons are arranged through the school office, initially.
Please ask if you would like your child to start and the individual music teachers will be contacted to ask about space for teaching anyone in Year 2 and above; so if your child hasn’t reached that year group yet, they will need to wait until the end of the school year, to apply to start next September.
St Greg’s is delighted to have been recognised as a Music Mark School
“Music Mark works to support music teachers and the organisations they work for, to build connections within and beyond the music education ecosystem, and influence music education policy and practice.” Bridget Whyte – Chief Executive
Learn more about Music Mark here: https://www.musicmark.org.uk/
